Picture This: The CSU Independent Film School 2003 Executive Program Description

Transcription

1 1 Picture This: The CSU Independent Film School 2003 Executive Program Description (This program is made possible by funds from the CSU President's Initiative a partnership of the Cleveland Foundation, the George Gund Foundation and Cleveland State University. Application materials may be found at Background In her 2003 State of the City Address, Cleveland Mayor Jane L. Campbell addressed the vital role of arts and culture in the Cleveland market: Consider the film industry alone, which pumped more than $22 million into the local economy during the last four years. As a September 27 th, 2002, Plain Dealer Forum section article noted: Our community is off to a solid start in developing this new sector [film, television, and commercial productions]. But much remains to be done... we must improve our workforce training for media jobs. 1 Todd Black, a producer of Antwone Fisher, a biopic that filmed in Cleveland in 2001, has praised the enthusiasm of the local workforce, but has noted the shortage of professional-caliber crew members. 2 Additionally, interest in regional filmmaking in general and regional filmmaking in Northeast Ohio specifically--is growing. Opportunities for participation in film organizations and in locallyproduced productions has expanded with the greater availability of digital tools for shooting, editing, and applying special effects. This expanding filmmaking environment has been documented in a new bi-weekly column by Julie Washington, Plain Dealer writer. In an era in which Hollywood exists wherever creativity and energy come together with appropriate technology and skills, the Northeast Ohio area needs to position itself as a true player, much as Toronto and Pittsburgh have done. The Northeast Ohio region enjoys a strong video industry, but this strength is not matched by film expertise. It should be noted that the rumors of film s demise have been greatly exaggerated; although many aspects of film production have been digitalized (e.g., special effects, editing), virtually all commercial films are shot on film. The expanding need for trained professionals in film has been duly noted by the Cleveland Film Commission (i.e., The Cleveland Media Development Corporation). As that organization s Vice President, Lesley Ward, notes in the attached letter of support and commitment, the commission views 1 Ryan, J. W., & Bennett, J. E. III. (2002, September 27). Pass the popcorn. The Cleveland Plain Dealer. 2 Washington, J. (2002, November 22). Producer: Cleveland needs trained workers to attract filmmakers. The Cleveland Plain Dealer,.

2 2 the proposed program as being complementary and significant to our mission and an important part of building the infrastructure needed to support future production. Funded in the summer of 2003 by the CSU President s Initiative Fund, a new film training program targets these needs and opportunities by developing a foundation for a collaboration that includes three components: (1) Independent Film Production School, a special, high-level version of Independent Pictures Independent Film School, the serial hands-on training curriculum that will bring students to the level of professionalism for production of the short film, (2) a component that taps the considerable CSU resources in digital media--the digital editing and electronic music scoring of the short film and the digital video shooting of the School s educational sessions for the eventual creation of a training DVD ( Putting It Together: Digital Post Production and Professional Film Production Notes ), and (3) Cleveland Focus, a script competition that will select a Cleveland-focused narrative with the potential (and intention) to be produced on film with future grant funds. 3 Faculty and students at Cleveland State University have long approached film from an interdisciplinary standpoint, with a core of film studies and filmmaking courses in the Department of Communication and additional relevant courses in a number of departments (i.e., Art, Drama, English, First College, Modern Languages, Music, Urban Studies). The Communication Department s Digital Video Communication Center houses state-of-the-art digital video cameras, non-linear editing suites, and DVD authoring stations, and heretofore has offered a range of film-style production courses, but necessarily limiting the students work to video. Other Communication courses deal with the management of media production facilities and the engineering of and operation of new digital technologies, including DVD authoring. Courses in Music have allowed students to learn the process of electronic music composition and through independent studies, music students have explored scoring for the moving image. Classes in Drama, English, Modern Languages and Urban Studies have provided strong support for film studies, via the critical examination of classic and innovative films. In terms of producing narrative film, the missing pieces for the CSU community have historically been curricula that teach (a) screenwriting and (b) the hands-on production of film, notably in a full-scale film production unit context. The screenwriting component is beginning to be addressed through the introduction of playwriting coursework in English, the offering of a screenwriting course in First College in the fall of 2003, and the selection of COM 493: Screenwriting and Teleplay Writing as an experimental special topics course for the academic year by the College of Arts & Sciences. A film production component has been introduced in recent First College courses. The experience of film instructors in both the Department of Communication and First College has been 3 Due to standing commitments of the relevant digital equipment and editing facilities and personnel during the regular academic year, the production components of the program may be conducted only during the summer months. Thus, the funding schedule for the grant demands that the program s first year begin in the middle of the normal cycle. In the first year, the 2003 summer production will be for a non-competitively selected script devised and executed by the students in the summer Independent Film Production School, with assistance by local professional screenwriters (a process already proven successful in the IP production of A Wise Decision ). This will be followed by a winter script competition for the summer 2004 production (to be funded at a later date). The hope is for a sustained annual winter/summer cycle of script competitions and short film productions. The 2003 summer production will be unique in that its topic will be focused on the role of and the importance of support for the visual arts in the Northeast Ohio area. Thus, the film itself may serve as a calling card in seeking additional funding to sustain the program over the years to follow.

3 3 one of steadily growing interest for such education by students and by members of the regional film community. Students who have interned on local shoots for big-budget films in the past few years have attested to the value of such work 4 ; however, these opportunities tend to be scattered and ad hoc (i.e., students are unable to plan for such opportunities in advance), and they are generally lacking in a pedagogical focus. The new program promises to fill curricular gaps and elevate film education at CSU to a new level, through a large-scale production that brings students in direct contact with a host of professionals from all aspects of commercial film production. The film that is a focal output of the program promises to provide a high-profile, central locus for the filmmaking efforts of CSU students and members of the Northeast Ohio area. The script competition will provide a highly visible venue for the efforts of students and members of the regional filmmaking community. The principal external partner for this program, Independent Pictures (IP), is poised to provide the necessary support to fill this hands-on production deficit. Independent Pictures is a nonprofit organization established in 1993 to encourage the filmmaking craft by producing and presenting the work of a diverse community of media artists. IP is the sponsor of Script Mill (the only screenplay reading program in the Midwest), the Ohio Independent Film Festival (showing undistributed independent films from around the world, with a focus on Ohio filmmakers), the intermittentlyconducted IP Independent Film School (since the dissolution of the Cleveland Film Society s Cleveland Filmmakers in 2002, the only professional training available in the Northeast Ohio area), regional AIVF (Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers) Salons, the Fiscal Agent Sponsorship Program, the IP Speakers Bureau, and a variety of curatorial programs. IP s Independent Film School is offered only occasionally, and by grant sponsorship only (e.g., as with the production of the 2002 film A Wise Decision with the Cleveland Public Schools and the United Labor Agency); it has to date not been available at the university level. This proposal aims to remedy that deficiency. Program Overview All activities of the CSU Cleveland Independent Film School program will be supervised and administered by an Executive Board comprised of all Program Leaders from Cleveland State University and Independent Pictures (see Appendix A), with the addition of representatives from key participating organizations such as the Cleveland Film Commission (i.e., The Cleveland Media Development Corporation), the Cleveland Film Society, and Adelphia Cable of Cleveland, as well as local filmmakers. This Board will appoint relevant CSU and community members to committees that will drive the activities of the three components of the program: (1) CSU/Independent Pictures Independent Film Production School, a serial hands-on training curriculum of 12 modules, will bring students to the level of professionalism for production of a short film. The selection of participants for the School will be conducted by a committee appointed by the Board and comprised of representatives from each of the relevant CSU departments/units: Communication, Drama, and First College. The Board will seek committee participation by other 4 Pendleton, S. (2003, February 6). Student earns film credit. The Cleveland Stater, p. 5.

4 4 CSU units (e.g., Art), community organizations, and the many regional professionals with whom the CSU team has ties. Independent Pictures, the parent organization of the Ohio Independent Film Festival and the originator of the IP Independent Film School curriculum locally, will provide the principal professional filmmaking expertise (see bios of principals Bernadette Gillota and Annetta Marion). The CSU Drama faculty will facilitate casting of CSU and area talent. The 16mm filmtraining component will allow fifteen selected participants to learn and work side by side with local and national film professionals. Participants are to be from the Northeast Ohio area and preference will be given to CSU students across all academic units. (2) Digital techniques will be the focus of the second component, Putting It Together: Digital Post Production and Professional Film Production Notes. Significant post production activities for the short film (i.e., digital audio post production tasks, digital editing, insertion of the film score, and authoring to DVD) along with the digital video shooting of the School s filmmaking educational sessions for the eventual creation of a training DVD will be conducted by a team of 10 selected participants. This team, under the supervision of Program Leader John Ban, will use the Department of Communication facilities. In a clear extension of the Department of Communication s OLN grant, Digital Media for Educational and Communication Professions, that project s advanced DVD authoring equipment will be used in this stage. And, the film s score will be completed by a team of Music Department faculty and student composers. The execution of this third component will be aided by a committee with representation by the Communication and Music departments at CSU, as well as local professionals with ties to CSU (e.g., DVD authoring specialists from Beechwood Studios) tapped by the Executive Board. (3) Cleveland Focus, a script competition that will select a short-form Northeast Ohiofocused narrative, will be conducted jointly by several departments/units at Cleveland State University: Communication, Drama, and First College. In addition, the Executive Board will appoint additional relevant CSU (e.g., English, Modern Languages) and community contributors to the Cleveland Focus panel. The competition will be promoted by the CSU partner departments/units, Independent Pictures, and members of the Executive Board. The competition will be open to area individuals and companies as well as members of the CSU community. Program Goals 1. To provide educational opportunities to our students and to members of the Northeast Ohio community not available elsewhere. At the same time that employment and artistic opportunities are expanding in filmmaking in the area, the glaring lack of film training and education demands a remedy. 2. To extend the influence of two grants received by Cleveland State University: The Ohio Board of Regents $447,514 OLN grant Digital Media for Educational and Communication Professions and the Ohio Board of Regents Technology Initiatives Program $377,937 grant for the student services category, which provided advanced practical experience and equipment for full DVD authoring for students, faculty and community members. 3. To promote CSU s current work in digital media among members of the regional film and video community. The film outcome will raise the profile of our outstanding facility and

5 5 instruction, as will the release of the film on DVD, as produced in our DVD facilities in the DVCom Center. 4. To raise the visibility of selected Cleveland-area issues via the script contest and the showcased film production. Visibility will be further enhanced through the promotion of the film via cable distribution, submission to film festival competitions, and other promotional screenings. 5. To build an educational partnership between Cleveland State University and the premier area organization for film education, Independent Pictures. This partnership will form the foundation for future funding, attracting sustaining sponsorship via corporate sponsorship and/or the production of promotional films for area non-profits. Additionally, to build stronger ties between CSU and the wide variety of film/media professionals and organizations to be tapped for participation in this program. 6. To provide the basis for CSU curriculum across academic units that will attract new students to the University and retain students who currently seek film education elsewhere. 7. To provide an enhanced film production infrastructure that will be instrumental in attracting future film projects to the Northeast Ohio area. Program timeline Pre-Production Phase: May 15th June 15th, 2003 There will be multiple news releases to the community from Cleveland State University, Independent Pictures, The Cleveland Film Commission and Adelphia Cable. They will promote the free film and digital video job training with the completion of the film and DVD for participants portfolios. Applicants must respond by providing a resume, reference letters and a cover sheet stating why they should be considered. The Executive Board will develop the plan for scripting the summer 2003 production as a joint effort between the selected students and area professionals. Production Training Phase: July 8 th July 22 nd, 2003 Instruction will take place during selected hours between 10 am and 8 pm, Tuesdays through Fridays, preparing the 15 selected students for the actual film production. The Department of Communication Digital Video Communication Center (DVCOMM) will be used for classroom and hands on preparation. The ten students selected for the digital component will utilize the DVCOMM digital cameras to videotape these classes for future educational purposes. Initial classes will concentrate on project treatment and scripting, as well as location scouting, casting and performance directing. Students will move on to learning the business of film management (e.g., budgeting, legal considerations) and complete their study by learning the tools and tasks needed to crew the shooting of the film (including lighting, camera care and operation, and sound). Independent Pictures staff and area film professionals will teach the curriculum. The format of this curriculum will follow very closely Independent Pictures past successful ventures with Cleveland Public Schools and local organizations. Film Production Phase: July 23rd July 25th, 2003 The actual 16mm filming will occur during this time period. Local and national professionals

6 6 will work side-by-side with students apprentice-style. Shooting days will be concentrated, long and intense in order to save rental and professional help costs i.e., shooting will follow a real world model. Post Production Phase: July 28th September 30th, 2003 The digital video training students will conduct the lengthy process of logging and editing this film. The DVCOMM extensive editing facilities will be used for this process. The film will be complete except for the final music score that will be produced by the Music Department of CSU in the upcoming academic year. Final Digital and Film Production Product Phase: October 1 st, 2003 May 15, 2004 During this phase, the music score will be created for the final product. DVD production will also take place when all the final elements are complete. The extensive DVCOMM DVD authoring facilities will be used to create the DVD. Digital videotapes of the training sessions will be logged and cataloged for future potential educational use. Initial showings of the film will be in the fall with a basic soundtrack. The premiere event will occur in the spring of Cleveland Focus, a Script Competition: September 1 st, 2003 April 15 th, 2004 This script competition will have applicants writing with a Cleveland-focused narrative for potential filming and/or to be used for educational purposes. Future grants will be applied for to reach this component s full potential. A two-month marketing campaign will be initiated in September and applicants will be given approximately three months to respond. In early spring the winner will be announced and hopefully money will be encumbered to produce this script s film in the summer of The format of this contest will take its direction from the expertise of the Executive Board and Independent Pictures successful past creation of similar competitions. Research and Reports Evaluation and planning research will be conducted throughout the life cycle of the program, utilizing the considerable expertise of the CSU Communication Research Center associates. Quantitative evaluation research will be conducted on participants during the summer 2003 production schedule, with survey research conducted in the fall of 2003 in order to facilitate decision-making with regard to the script competition and the future directions of the program. Theater testing of the finished film will occur at two stages the rough cut stage (fall of 2003) and the final cut stage (spring 2004).

7 7 Attachment A: Biographical Sketches of CSU and IP Program Leaders John Ban John will serve as the CSU instructor and coordinator for all digital functions of the program, such as the Avid editing and DVD production elements. Currently, he is the Digital Media Interactive Coordinator for the Department of Communication. His background consists of 25 years of experience in the broadcasting-digital media professional markets. Responsibilities included Management, Producer-Director, Sales-Marketing, and advanced technology training. In addition, John has 11 years of experience as an instructional developer and course instructor for digital editing, Multi-Source Video Production, Management and Documentary production for Cleveland State University s Department of Communication. Kimberly Neuendorf As Director of the CSU Communication Research Center, Dr. Neuendorf will direct all evaluation research components of the program, as well as serve in a variety of capacities for all three components of the program. In her 20-year academic career, she has executed hundreds of quantitative studies, including many evaluation projects. She is the author of over 50 journal articles and book chapters, and her methodology text, The Content Analysis Guidebook, was published in Additionally, as Head of the Media/Film area in the Department of Communication and instructor of several film studies courses, she has been closely involved in the department s efforts to update and expand film offerings across disciplines at CSU, and has been active in various film initiatives in the Cleveland area (e.g., the Cleveland International Film Festival s Short Film Selection Committee, the Digital Cinema Forum). She has produced educational videos and PSAs for such area non-profits as the Better Business Bureau, Hard Hatted Women, Merrick House, and the Cleveland Music School Settlement. Austin Allen Through his position as Interim Director of First College, Dr. Allen will be able to assure an interdisciplinary perspective on the writing contest, production and post-production process. Austin Allen is an independent filmmaker and he recently introduced a film production curriculum into First College. He is an Associate Professor of Film, in the Communication Department. His major interests are in Film Production, African Diaspora film; American public media; and the design and meanings of public space. Austin Allen has been the recipient of many awards and film grants. His work includes: Editor of China (2002), a 60-minute Super 16mm narrative for American public television; Producer, Director and Editor for Claiming Open Spaces (1995), 90-minute 16mm documentary, for American public television; Producer/Editor for Through Jessie s Window (Post-Production Phase) 60-minute digital narrative; and Producer, Director and Editor for Olmsted in the Site of the Unseen (Research and Development and Production Phase), a 90-minute, Super 16mm documentary film. Eric Ziolek As Chair of the CSU Department of Music, Dr. Ziolek will be responsible for all coordination of the Music Department s involvement in this program. This includes the full process of scoring the finished film work.

8 8 Michael Rand As Interim Director of Drama at CSU, Professor Rand will represent the multifaceted interests of Drama in the program i.e., with regard to talent and casting, the direction of talent, and screenwriting. Professor Rand worked for more than 20 years as a broadcasting professional, winning a local Emmy award for his producing of a news magazine program. He is the writer/director of such noted documentaries as the PBS-aired Hear the Cry and Defining Race, which has been used in a number of educational venues. Professor Rand has also enjoyed a long history in local and university theater. Bernadette Gillota Bernadette will serve as Independent Pictures Co-Manager of the Film training and Production elements of this proposal. Currently, she is the Co-Artistic & Executive Director of Independent Pictures. Her background includes work on over 50 films and shorts. Her responsibilities included Director/Producer/Writer/Production Manager/Location Scout positions. She has worked as a film production instructor for the Greater Cleveland Media Development Corp./Job Train Partnership Act, The United Labor Agency and Cleveland Public Schools. Annetta Marion Annetta will serve as Independent Pictures Co-Manager of the Film training and Production elements of this proposal. Currently, she is the Co-Artistic & Executive Director of Independent Pictures. Her background includes work on over 60 films and broadcasting productions. Her responsibilities include Line Producer/Production Manager/Associate Producer/Writer/Director/Producer positions. She has taught over a dozen related film-video-production/management courses and seminars. 5/21/03 Contact Information: Kimberly A. Neuendorf, Ph.D. Professor & Director, Communication Research Center Department of Communication Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH k.neuendorf@csuohio.edu